IN ONE of the more bizarre things you'll see on a footy field, Collingwood veteran Steele Sidebottom gifted Port Adelaide a point after the final siren at the MCG on Saturday night.

Sidebottom had taken a mark from a kick-in near the boundary line, about 45m from Port Adelaide's goal, just as the siren sounded to end the match.

With play effectively over, Sidebottom then launched the Sherrin towards the Power's goal. The ball bounced and trickled over the goal line for a rushed behind, adding a point to Port Adelaide's total.

The umpire signalled a point and the score was added to Port's final tally, although most at the ground missed what had happened at the time.

While the extra point had no bearing on the result, it was an unusual finish to an otherwise forgettable contest.

The wrinkle in the bizarre incident is it could be argued both that the point should not have counted, or that the Power should have actually been awarded a free kick.

There is a case that Sidebottom stepped off his line before kicking the ball, which would have meant the game was over and the point would not count. If the point did count, it could also be argued Sidebottom's kick was a deliberate rushed behind, which would have meant the Power would have been awarded a free kick from the goalsquare.

While percentage is currently not overly relevant to the Magpies given their draw against Hawthorn early in the season, history suggests fine margins can make all the difference at the end of the season.

In 2017, Melbourne famously missed out on a breakthrough finals campaign by just 0.5 per cent, knocked out when some late goals by West Coast in the final game of the home and away season against Adelaide handed the Eagles eighth spot.

The strange moment on Saturday night summed up the dour match, with the Magpies securing a 26-point victory after keeping the Power goalless in the second half. 

Collingwood also failed to register a major in the final term, as both sides went goalless in the last quarter.

The Pies now sit half a game outside the wildcard placings, while Port is anchored in 15th spot with four wins.

Port Adelaide will turn its attention to Saturday night's Showdown clash against Adelaide, while Collingwood returns to the MCG to take on Richmond.